'Double the pig' pizza scores big with judges at the Heart of Illinois Fair

PEORIA — All you need is pizza to draw a crowd at the Heart of Illinois Fair.

Dozens gathered in the Textiles and Foods Building to partake in one of the more cheesy events at the fair Monday night: the Pizza Pie Live Food Judging competition.

To the four judges of the competition, it was serious business. Tom Moore and Mindy Moore, the husband and wife who run Knuckles Pizza, 1719 W. Woodside Drive, Dunlap, led the group of judges, which included their daughter Shannon and employee Zach Martinez.

“This is our third year. We’re a staple of the fair,” Tom Moore said with a laugh.

Three of the judges were operating on empty stomachs, ready to take on the challenge of sampling eight pizzas, but crowning just one as the supreme pizza.

“Taste and texture are the keys,” Tom Moore said. “You have to break down the toppings and the sauce. There’s a lot that goes into it.”

The pizzas were passed along from one judge to another, who were seated in front of an eager crowd of supporters and those who had brought their homemade pizzas to the competition.

Soon enough, the pizzas were coming quick. Chicken Florentine pizza and a BLT pizza came first. After each bite, the judges took studious notes. The first two were followed by a pulled pork and bacon pizza.

“Double the pig,” Shannon Moore said with glee.

Then came a garlic bread pizza, a buffalo wing pizza, a meat lovers, a supreme and finally a barbecue chicken pizza. The last slices were eaten at a slower pace than the first few. The judges’ stomachs were becoming full, but that could not stop them from their duty. “We take this very seriously,” Mindy Moore said.

After the final piece, the judges got up, studied their notes and looked over the remnants of the pizzas. After minutes of tense deliberation, the judges announced a winner: the pulled pork and bacon pizza made by David Holt Jr. of Edwards.

“The pulled pork by itself has enough flavor to put it on the top, but it was an altogether great pizza,” Martinez said.

Afterward, the judges were all full, prompting Shannon Moore to say that taking a nap was probably the best way to recover, but there was some business to attend to.

Holt, Tom and Mindy Moore gathered in a corner to discuss the delicacies of pizza baking. “They have to balance all of the flavors, and the pulled pork pizza did just that,” Tom Moore said.

After some handshakes and smiles, they came to an agreement: there may just be a pulled pork and bacon pizza served at Knuckles someday soon.

Page 2 of 2 - Zach Berg can be reached at zberg@pjstar.com or 686-3257. Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyBerg.